This invention is directed to yet another arrangement for covering the point of a needle contaminated with body fluid, such as blood, so as to protect the user from accidental needle stick. More particularly, this invention relates to a simplified arrangement for covering the contaminated venous needle end of a double-ended needle positioned in a conventional blood draw holder, without the need for some kind of cumbersome separate sliding shield arrangement mounted on the holder, while still providing appropriate protection to the phlebotomist, nurse, doctor or clinical lab technician who may be handling the contaminated needle, once it has been used.
For those familiar with the art to which the present invention is directed, they will understand that there have been a great many inventions developed in the last several years, since the presence of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become publicly known, to develop arrangements which will protect the user from being accidentally stuck with a contaminated needle. For example, many inventions have been developed in which a movable shield is mounted coaxially on a blood draw holder during use by the phlebotomist. The separate shield is in a semi-locked position, and the shield is movable to a permanently locked position covering the contaminated needle, once the needle and holder have been used for taking blood samples from a patient. Representative of such art are the following United States patents:
______________________________________ 4,752,290 Issued: June 21, 1988 4,826,490 Issued: May 2, 1989 4,871,355 Issued: October 3, 1989 4,826,491 Issued: May 2, 1989 4,846,808 Issued: July 11, 1989 4,867,172 Issued: September 19, 1989 4,938,745 Issued: July 3, 1990 ______________________________________
Other arrangements have been developed which are related to the structures described and claimed in the above-noted United States patents, but these structures relate to syringes. That is, syringes have barrels in the same manner as blood draw holders, and, therefore, there have been developments wherein a shield is movable from a semi-locked position coaxial with a barrel which may be a syringe barrel or it may be a blood draw holder. The shield is moved to a permanent locked position covering a contaminated needle once the device has been used. Of course, syringes are used for injecting medication as well as withdrawing body fluids. At any rate, the needle point is contaminated and the arrangements developed similar to those noted in the above U.S. patents are for, specifically, mounting on a syringe barrel. Representative such devices are described and claimed in the following United States patents.
______________________________________ 4,643,199 Issued: February 17, 1987 4,743,233 Issued: May 10, 1988 4,738,663 Issued: April 19, 1988 4,747,837 Issued: May 31, 1988 4,801,295 Issued: January 31, 1989 4,923,446 Issued: May 8, 1990 4,927,417 Issued: May 22, 1990 4,932,940 Issued: June 12, 1990 4,932,945 Issued: June 12, 1990 ______________________________________
It should be noted that all of the above patents are only representative of the vast amount of prior art available in this field.
With this invention, by contrast, a needle holder arrangement is provided for covering the contaminated negative pressure needle end of blood draw holders, once the needle is removed from the body. The arrangement is such that no cumbersome extra structure is required during the use of the holder of the invention. That is, the holder is modified to have a simple tab-like bayonet connection on the outer surface of the closed end portion of the barrel of the needle holder. Moreover, the internal surface of the open end of the holder also has a cooperating tab receiving connection. As a result, one of these modified blood draw holders may be locked end-to-end with another of the same exact modified holders. As a result of this, one unused holder may cover the contaminated negative pressure needle which has been inserted into a second holder.
With this modification, the phlebotomist or other user of such a holder is not encumbered during the actual sensitive insertion of the needle into the patient for taking a blood sample. This is particularly important for patients who are unusually sensitive to having a needle inserted into their skin. Moreover, it is important to the user for patients whose veins are not easily found for insertion of the needle for taking a blood sample. Also, the angle of needle insertion is not limited by the width of the extra shield mounted on the holder.
Other advantages of the invention here include substantial cost reduction. That is, the holder of the invention requires a single mold for making both the holder which is used and the holder which covers the contaminated needle. Furthermore, the phlebotomist's tray requires only a single container for holders of the type described and claimed in this application. The phlebotomist may select from this single container a holder for use by inserting the conventional two-ended needle for taking blood samples. The phlebotomist thereafter, may grab from the same container a holder for covering the contaminated needle, once the blood draw procedure has taken place. This obviates, as will be understood by the practitioner-in-the-art, the need for having to modify the blood collection technique which phlebotomists, for example, have developed over a period of years after having taken many many blood samples.
Another advantage is the fact that there is no snap movement in moving a shield into a locked position over a contaminated needle causing the flinging or splattering of blood from the contaminated needle. Also, as will be understood from the discussion above, every holder is a potential safety holder when the need arises.
While the cooperating locking means on each end of the holder of the invention has been described as a bayonet-type arrangement, it will be understood that other cooperating locking means may be arranged such as a friction fit lock or a screw thread connection. However, it is preferred to use a locking means which is best described as a cooperating bayonet-type arrangement.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.